Auditor questions $17 million in payments to private caregivers

The state made as much as $17 million in overpayments or incorrect payments to providers of services for developmentally disabled adults in the 2012 fiscal year, according to an audit released today

The report also found 23 individual caregivers should not have been working with any developmentally disabled clients because they had failed criminal background checks. There are about 40,000 people working part- or full-time as care givers and the audit randomly sampled the histories of 1,500.

The findings are detailed in a performance audit of the Washington State Developmentally Disabilities Administration issued by State Auditor Troy Kelley.

“In our review, we found overpayments and questionable payments to care providers. We also identified two concerns about client safety regarding the background checks and training required for care providers,” Kelley wrote in the executive summary.

“Many of the issues identified in our audit are caused by limited, infrequent inspections of supported living services providers’ records, and by complex, paper-intensive processes within the administration. Improved monitoring and payment processes can address these issues, and in some instances, improvements already have been made.”